For a few years, I posted irregularly on Blogspot, later Blogger. My last post was in 2010, and I just haven’t written much in the last 3+ years. Life, work, people, and excuses tended to get in the way.

Things have changed, lately. In the last few weeks, I’ve been writing more, and the current American and world political climate is quite inspiring to a wanna-be writer. I’m going to be another jackass voice in the increasingly-crowded world of 1’s and 0’s, and do my best to distinguish myself from the crowd, at least a little.

My primary points of interest are politics, science, and boxing. My previous Blogger accounts were divided into a general political/current events commentary blog, with some personal diaries mixed in, and also a boxing blog. All my boxing posts were originally published on http://www.eastsideboxing.com. I plan to restart both blogs, but the boxing blog will likely start in a week or two. The primary political/science/current events blog is going to be this one. I will keep the personal stuff to a minimum for now. If a reader cares enough to know more about me, and isn’t satisfied with the next few paragraphs, I have a Facebook page, and even a rarely-used Twitter account.

I plan to repost most (not all) of my Blogger entries, primarily for the sake of continuity, and also because I like what I wrote, and I think most of those posts are still relevant, despite the entries being 4-7 years old.

I plan to update as regularly as time and motivation permits, but it will probably average out to about two posts a month. I hope to make them interesting enough to warrant some readership, though I’m not arrogant enough to think I’m going to inspire or change many minds. I just have opinions, like everyone else, and I enjoy writing about them.

I also write some fiction, and may eventually add a third blog to highlight some of the fiction, though that’s probably a few months down the road.

In the meantime, here I am. A quick biography is about to ensue. Please skip ahead if this part is going to put you to sleep. My name is Hunter Breckenridge, I’m from Kansas City, MO, USA, and I’m an “aspiring” writer and novelist, and have dabbled professionally in security, software development, taxes, telecommunications, political campaign work, and the occasional bouncing gig. Hey, sometimes you just need to kick a drunk out of a bar.

I enjoy writing, reading, rock climbing, hiking, exploring, trying not to break my car while making it impractically faster, cycling, boxing, most martial arts (Chinese in particular), baseball, music (blues, jazz, 90’s alt rock, industrial metal), science, technology, space exploration, languages, politics, and world affairs. The politics and world affairs are what I’m going to be concentrating on with this blog.

For an idea of what you’re going to see, I am an outspoken liberal (in the modern American sense of the word). I believe in regulated markets, progressive taxation, laissez-faire attitudes toward people’s personal lives, and a general sense of fairness. Universal single-payer health care, drug decriminalization, and some gun control are just fine with me. Gay marriage, liberal abortion laws, and the end of the death penalty are okay with me, too. Teachers should be paid at a minimum 50% more in every public school in America, and NASA’s budget should be tripled. I believe humanity’s future will eventually depend on expansion into space and it’s not too early to start exploring.

Government is not the problem (not exclusively), and can certainly be an answer. Having said that, government needs to be as democratic, open, transparent, and accountable as possible. Current campaign contribution laws seriously diminish the effectiveness and accountability of government. So yes, I’m pretty damn liberal.

I’m not anti-military, and I believe the U.S. armed forces can be a force for good in the world. However, the fact that the U.S. spends as much as the next 14 highest-spending countries combined seriously undermines what the government can do for the people. Even a 25% reduction would leave so much more for actual infrastructural improvements and social welfare enhancements. And we could still kick anyone else’s ass, should it be needed.

I also believe religion in general tends to be much more of a force for evil than good, though exceptions do exist. Religion tends to make people intellectually lazy and complacent. It hinders progress. There is value in questioning everything, including god. In fact, that’s what science is all about.

Yes, I’m a loud-mouthed liberal atheist. And I will argue my point until you drop. But I also value debate and disagreement. Even the most intelligent and thoughtful people become fat and corrupt when left unopposed. I value a good fight, too, but without taking things too personally. Life is too short to be hateful over anything, including politics.

My first full post on my old Blogger account was a short obituary of Molly Ivins, and I will post that, and other old ones in the next few days. A couple posts that I only placed on my Facebook account will be added, as well. Newer content should follow in the next week.

In case you want to see what I wrote on my old blogs, here are the links: